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Minutes are not a verbatim transcription, but rather an attempt to capture the intent of the speaker by the City Clerk.
ITEM 1 - CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Pro Tem Peterson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the DAT Conference Room, North Building, 480 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood, Colorado.
ITEM 2 - ROLL CALL
Those present were: Mayor Pro Tem Ed Peterson, Presiding
Diana Allen
Doug Anderson
Cindy Baroway
Karen Kellen
Sue King
Debbie Koop
Adam Paul
Tom Quinn
Vicki Stack
Those absent were: Mayor Bob Murphy
Staff in attendance: Jay Hutchison, Director of Public Works
Paul Kennebeck, Deputy City Attorney
Bill Clayton, Building Code Administrator
Anne Heine, City Engineer
Karen Phillips, Permit Counter Supervisor
Full and timely notice of this Study Session had been given and a quorum was
present.
ITEM 3 - PRESENTATION - CONSTRUCTION PERMIT PROCEDURES
Public Works Director Jay Hutchison led a walking tour of the Permit Counter and Building Plans Review & Inspection areas of the Public Works Department, explaining the type of work done in each area and giving Councilors and citizens an opportunity to see several sets of plans after they had been reviewed. The Council returned to the conference room for a presentation about the building permit process and the department's efforts to improve customer service and resolve issues. Mr. Hutchison stated that 14,000 customers walk in annually; 9,000 permits are issued and 23,000 inspections are performed. The primary purpose of building codes is to ensure building safety and the purpose of permit fees is to recover the cost of plan review, inspections, etc. Fees are based on the value of the project, not necessarily on how much it cost. Lakewood's permit fees are low compared to other municipalities in the metro area.
Building Codes Administrator Bill Clayton presented a typical building permit case and discussed how issues were resolved to the satisfaction of everyone. He encouraged Councilors to refer citizens directly to him when they have a complaint or concern about the building permit process.
Councilors asked questions and made comments following the presentations. A
summary of responses to those questions follows:
• The Public Works Department is currently developing online building permit
application processes and there is no timeline for when this might begin. The
complexity of a project will determine if a permit can be submitted online;
it is unlikely that large projects will ever be eligible for online processes.
Right now, building permit applications for eligible small projects are submitted
via fax machine.
• Permit fees and use tax fees are calculated based on the value of the
project. Even if the applicant gets the materials for free, that doesn't change
the value of the work.
• Ideas were suggested by Councilors to help manage the inconsistent wait
time at the permit counter (sometimes there are no customers and sometimes there's
a long line). Mr. Hutchison explained that appointments are encouraged.
• If, after a permit is issued, several months go by with no communication
from the permittee, the department follows up with a card or call before the
permit expires.
• In response to a question about providing incentives for contractors
who consistently do good work and follow the building codes, Mr. Hutchison commented
that the permittee is not always the person who actually does the work.
• Every attempt is made to catch problems during the plan review and inspection
stage of a project. In the case of building code or zoning violations, if a
problem is found, a correction notice is issued. Building code personnel respond
primarily to complaints - they don't go out looking for problems, but will respond
if they see one and will follow up if a problem is reported.
• Much appreciation was expressed for the work of the building code staff,
especially since the staff sees 14,000 customers a year and Councilors receive
only a handful of complaints out of that. Councilors thanked the staff for its
focus on communicating and providing good customer service. They encouraged
staff to put more information on the City website.
• The building code staff is phasing in the new energy code over the next
year, focusing right now on educating the public about code requirements.
ITEM 4 - REPORTS
Councilors shared information about recent and upcoming meetings and events.
Mayor Pro Tem Peterson stated that one of the current issues being discussed by the Metro Mayors Caucus regards the possibility of replacing street light bulbs with LED lamps. Xcel is concerned about this because of the impact it will have on revenue, so even though LED lamps are more efficient, rates will need to go up to compensate. Councilman Anderson noted that the city's franchise agreement with Xcel would be revisited in a couple of years.
ITEM 5 - ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Council; Mayor Pro Tem Peterson adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m.
Submitted by,
Sharon Blackstock, Acting City Clerk
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